Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication watch

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication watch hands-on

practice “Welcome back to the original function of aBlogtoWatch, my first Holy Grail watch.” Well, no, this is not entirely true. This is not another chapter in our Grail Watch series, but then again, it may be. At the end of last year, while visiting the highly exclusive London watch retailer Marcus and interviewing them for our watch purchase series, I had a very rare opportunity to encounter a highly elusive piece, which has long been my first choice “Watch” List”: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication.

In any sense of these words, it is magnificent and complex. The huge movement (Calibre 2885) is 31.60 mm wide and 8.55 mm thick. It needs all the space to form a total of 648 parts. As any large-scale complex function, in addition to the hour, minute, and second indication, it also provides a timekeeping device (in this case, a minute repeater with two gongs), an astronomical device (here is a date, day of the week). , Month perpetual calendar), moon phase and leap year indication), and stopwatch function (in this case, it is a 30-minute chronograph with a split-second or “second hand” complication).

Although the complexity itself is incredible, it is not special for most large complication watches. Rather, it is a combination of complexity and excessive attention to detail and refinement—and, as we will see, there is another element when it comes to this AP. Another element is interesting because, as mentioned earlier, the grand complication has traditionally been considered the most complicated movement design-despite the ultra-modern complication and the new way of displaying time. Therefore, we have seen many-easily a dozen or more-major manufacturers try to create a watch with exactly the same complications as we mentioned above.

The most outstanding aspect of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication is that it combines this extremely high level of sophistication and sophistication with a sporty-looking case – replacing the round and more alternatives with bold cases. A conservative style case (perhaps a bit “loud”) Royal Oak Offshore case. Although we should not let the rugged appearance deceive us-a watch with such an exquisite movement is not suitable for swimming or climbing-but it brings an interesting and more unique aesthetic.

The 18-carat pink gold case is 44 mm wide and 15.70 mm thick-although large, it is not surprising compared to the average size of other Royal Oak offshore models. However, the more obvious difference is the water resistance: only 20 meters. Now, although we have said that the movement is very delicate and how this prevents the watch from being used in any rugged conditions, the rating of 2 is indeed very low-but this is for good reason. Although there are many ways to waterproof the crown and two chronograph buttons, it is much more difficult to seal the minute repeater slider on the left side of the case and the button in the center of the crown. vogue4uwatches

In any case, when people approach the most complex iteration of the Royal Oak Offshore, the faintest idea of ​​bringing it near a drop of water disappears. Almost every mechanical movement that is more complex than a normal chronograph movement has multiple levels: the automatic winding and the timing device are almost always located at the bottom of the movement (that is, the side of the back cover), the timing device and the main barrel, transmission The wheel train and escapement are located in the center, while the minute repeater and perpetual calendar are mainly located on the side of the dial.

In the picture above, you can see that on the dial side of the movement, wheels, cams, levers and pinions of different proportions are packed extremely tightly together-most of the seemingly extra space is just to make room for sliding and The action of rotating these components occurs. Thanks to the “smoky sapphire dial”, many of the components here can be seen through the dial, providing a background that is arguably more beautiful than any solid dial imaginable.

Some parts of the minute repeater can also be seen under the sapphire dial, and two gongs can be seen on the back of the case. The gongs are placed on the same horizontal plane, rather than the more common vertical arrangement-this may be important in terms of vertical space requirements, although the volume and audibility of the sound is still not too large (considering the gong and The size of small hammers has some simple physical limitations that limit the intensity of the sound they produce). quartz replica watch

In terms of more general functions, the beast of this movement runs at 2.75 Hz, or 19,800 cycles per hour, and has a 45-hour power reserve. Although not traditionally a “required” for large complex functions, the 2885 movement has an automatic winding function-another function that somehow enters the movement’s space.

Although I generally disagree or oppose automatic winding, in this particular case, I really think it should be omitted-when it comes to such an excellent movement, this may be the only reasonable thing I can think of criticize. The large satin polished rotor looks more in common with the watchmaking industry than the top buildings-the sturdy, angular design and the balanced curves everywhere remind me of a bridge or a novel theater, no matter if it comes from What’s the reason-but if it does not meet the buyer’s expectations, Audemars Piguet provides a customized service that can uniquely decorate the rotor according to the customer’s requirements.

In addition to the impressive design, I still want to be able to see clearly and undisturbed the timing device exposed on the back of the watch. The number of parts is completed to a very high standard, it goes without saying-although we have seen some ultra-low-volume independents trying to get beveled and polished edges on the inner edges and spokes of some wheels, that is, there is no exist.

Nonetheless, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication offers a seemingly endless sea of ​​beautifully finished components: every cam, bridge, slot, and other parts one can think of have hand-beveled and polished sides, no Rough edges can be seen everywhere-in line with people’s expectations of a watch that takes six months to manufacture and costs more than most ordinary Ferrari watches you can buy.

Personally, the original 1972 Royal Oak 5402 “Jumbo” is my favorite Royal Oak design. As far as I am concerned, in many ways, the offshore model and its many different versions are made for brand new models. , New watch. Although Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication cannot be compared with the stylish and low-key appearance of the original 5402 for obvious reasons, it reminds me of how I felt when I saw the 5402, and more importantly, it brought the Royal Oak into The 21st century-while maintaining complete machinery, in fact, at the same time provides a set of brass wheels and gears can reach the pinnacle.

I like Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication because it combines a rugged, modern aesthetic, not only a selfish complex, but also beautifully executed-even behind its seemingly balanced, steroid-infused appearance, hidden With an exquisite machine, it can hardly stand the water splash from the faucet. Seeing this metal swiss watch and wearing it on my wrist for a short period of time I wish to have it is a rare and very appreciated opportunity-thanks again to Alex of Marcus for making this happen Help provided by the target.